Gary Knopp

Gary Allan Knopp[3] (July 14, 1957 – July 31, 2020) was an American politician who served in the Alaska House of Representatives from the 30th district as a member of the Republican Party.

Gary Knopp
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 30th district
In office
January 17, 2017 – July 31, 2020[1]
Preceded byKurt Olson
Succeeded byRon Gillham (elect)
Member of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, District 1
In office
December 1, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byKelly Wolf
Succeeded byBrent Hibbert
In office
December 1, 2006 – December 1, 2012
Preceded byDan Chay
Succeeded byKelly Wolf
Personal details
Born
Gary Allan Knopp

July 14, 1957
Whitefish, Montana
DiedJuly 31, 2020(2020-07-31) (aged 63)[2]
Soldotna, Alaska
Political partyRepublican

Early life

Knopp was born on July 14, 1957 in Whitefish, Montana.[4][5] In 1979, he moved to Alaska.[6]

Career

Knopp was elected to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Alaska in 2006, serving until 2012 (including two years as assembly president), when he retired in order to unsuccessfully run for the state house.[7] Knopp won a third term on the Assembly in 2015, and successfully ran for the House in 2016.[8][9]

Alaska House of Representatives

Knopp resigned from the Assembly on January 3, 2017, and was sworn in as a representative later that month.[10]

In December 2018, Knopp left the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives to push for a bipartisan coalition.[11] On May 17, 2019, he was censured by the Alaska Republican Party State Central Committee due to his role in forming a majority coalition in the House of Representatives with members of the Alaska Democratic Party.[12]

During the 30th session of the Alaska House of Representatives, from 2017 to 2019, Knopp served on the Administration, University of Alaska, Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Labor and Workforce Development, Revenue, State Affairs, Arctic Policy, Economic Development and Tourism, and Labor and Commerce committees. During the 31st session, from 2019 to 2020, he served as the chairman of the Natural Resources, and Labor and Workforce Development committees and as a member on the Finance committee.[13]

Personal life

Knopp was married to Helen.[14] He died on July 31, 2020, when his private Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser aircraft collided with a deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver owned by High Adventure Air Charter, near Soldotna, Alaska. The other plane's six occupants also died in the crash.[15] A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation indicated that Knopp had hit the Beaver in its rear, that he had taken off shortly after the Beaver, that it was not registered for flight and that Knopp had been denied a pilot's license due to vision problems years earlier.[16]

Electoral history
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 1 election, 2006[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Gary Knopp 733 63.46
Nonpartisan Kelly Wolf 412 35.67
Other Write-ins 10 0.87
Total votes 1,155 100.00
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 1 election, 2009[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Gary Knopp 592 95.18
Other Write-ins 30 4.82
Total votes 622 100.00
Alaska House District 29 Republican primary, 2012[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kurt Olson 1,679 56.10
Republican Gary Knopp 1,314 43.90
Total votes 2,993 100.00
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 1 election, 2015[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Gary Knopp 269 30.26
Nonpartisan David C. Wartinbee 265 29.81
Nonpartisan Kelly Wolf 180 20.25
Nonpartisan Robin Davis 172 19.35
Other Write-ins 3 0.34
Total votes 889 100.00
Alaska House District 30 Republican primary, 2016[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Gary Knopp 887 43.14
Republican Rick R. Koch 581 28.26
Republican Keith D. Baxter 313 15.22
Republican Kelly Wolf 275 13.38
Total votes 2,056 100.00
Alaska House District 30 election, 2016[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Gary Knopp 5,346 65.29
Democratic Shauna L. Thornton 1,868 22.81
Constitution J. R. Myers 473 5.78
Nonpartisan Daniel L. Lynch 473 5.78
Other Write-ins 28 0.34
Total votes 8,188 100.00
Alaska House District 30 election, 2018[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Gary Knopp 6,187 93.83
Other Write-ins 407 6.17
Total votes 6,594 100.00

References
  1. Hollander, Zaz. "Kenai lawmaker among those killed in midair collision over Alaska's Kenai Peninsula". ADN. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  2. Krakow, Morgan (August 1, 2020). "NTSB recovering planes in midair collision near Soldotna that killed 7, including legislator and local pilot". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  3. "Kenai Borough president takes on incumbent Olson". Alaska Journal of Commerce. August 9, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  4. Gary Allen Knopp-1957-2020
  5. "Gary Knopp's Biography". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  6. "House Majority: Alaska Rep. Gary Knopp killed in plane crash". Associated Press. July 31, 2020. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  7. Earl, Elizabeth (June 2, 2016). "8 candidates file for District 30 House seat". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  8. Earl, Elizabeth (November 9, 2016). "Knopp wins District 30 race". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  9. Boettger, Ben (October 2, 2016). "Kenai council considers city manager candidates". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  10. Earl, Elizabeth (January 3, 2017). "Hibbert to replace Knopp on assembly". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  11. "Rep. Gary Knopp announces withdraw from Republican caucus, pushing bipartisan coalition". December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  12. "Knopp censured by Alaska Republican Party". Homer News. May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  13. "30th and 31st Sessions Committee membership". Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  14. Smith, Brian (October 6, 2012). "Due diligence: Knopp reflects on political journey". Peninsula Clarion. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  15. Hollander, Zaz (July 31, 2020). "Kenai lawmaker among those killed in midair collision over Alaska's Kenai Peninsula". ADN. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  16. NTSB: Lawmaker in plane crash flew despite vision problems, Peninsula Clarion, August 25, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  17. "Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly - District 1 2006". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  18. "Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly - District 1 2009". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  19. "AK State House 29 - R Primary 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  20. "Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly - District 1 2015". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  21. "AK State House 30 - R Primary 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  22. "AK State House 30 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  23. "AK State House 30 2018". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
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